Syrian authorities have postponed the planned opening of the country's new parliament created after the removal from power of Bashar Al Assad.
The sudden postponement comes days after a deadly bombing near the Ministry of Justice in the centre of the capital, Damascus.
A statement on Sunday by the High Election Commission, a division of the Syrian Presidency, said the opening session, planned for Monday, would be “decided at a later date”.
President Ahmad Al Shara was due to address the session, which had been scheduled to start at noon.
One of the parliament's members told The National that they were not given a reason for the postponement, although some local reports suggested that it was because French President Emmanuel Macron would be visiting Damascus on Monday.
“They [the Presidential Palace] told us to stay in our hotels and those coming to Damascus to continue on their way because the session will be very soon after Monday,” the MP said.
The official news agency Sana reported on Sunday that Mr Macron will “make an awaited visit” to Damascus, but did not give a date.
The formation of a new parliament is seen as a key step in Syria's transition from decades of autocratic rule by Mr Al Assad's family. He was toppled by rebel forces led by Mr Al Shara in December 2024, after nearly 14 years of civil war.
Mr Al Shara appointed one third of the 220-member parliament last week while the rest were elected in October by 6,000 people chosen by the authorities. Most of the members are from Syria's Sunni majority.
The new authorities have placed several mid-level security commanders and militiamen of the former Alawite-dominated regime on trial for committing or supporting killings and other crimes, mostly during the civil war.
A bomb was detonated last week in a cafe near the Palace of Justice where trials are taking place, killing 10 people, mostly lawyers. The authorities did not say who could have been behind the explosion.
